Lesson 35
background notes
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doctrinal / teaching points
1. Edom was judged and
destroyed because of God’s covenant with His people.
2. Israel will be
regathered and restored because of God’s covenant
with his people.
practical application:
All we have to do is ask!
questions
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Here in chapter 35 we
have the third of the six messages (chapters 33
to 39) given by Ezekiel to the people of Israel.
What has God promised in this message that makes
it a message of encouragement and hope for the
Jewish people?
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Why did God pronounce
judgment against Edom? What would God’s judgment
entail regarding the land of Edom?
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In contrast to God’s
judgment against Edom in chapter 35, God promised
many blessings for Israel in chapter 36. In verses
8-15, He promised that the land of Israel would
become ________________, it would become
_________________, it would become ______________,
and it would become _________________.
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The second half of chapter
36 is the fourth of the six messages, and is another
message of hope and encouragement. This message is
clearly addressed to ____________. It is not
addressed to the ___________.
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The sprinkling of the
clean water here in verse 25 is not Christian
____________, but is the language of the red
____________ sacrifice of Numbers 19 where the ashes
mixed with water were for cleansing from
defilement. This certainly typifies our cleansing
from sin as believers because of the work of Christ,
but in the context here, this is part of the new
_____________ that is made with regathered
__________ in the land that God gave them (v 28).
answers
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This third message is
one of hope and encouragement to the people of
Israel because God promises the destruction of
Edom and other enemies of Israel represented by
Edom. The mountains of Edom would become waste
and desolation (35:7-8), while the mountains of
Israel would be blessed (36:8).
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God pronounced
judgment on Edom because of their wrong
treatment of the people of Israel and the land
of Israel. The
Edomites certainly knew of the covenant that God had
made with Abraham (Genesis 12), because they were
the descendants of Esau. However, they showed
enmity towards Israel and actually helped in the
Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. Read the prophecy
of Obadiah in this regard.
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God promised that the land
of Israel would become productive (vs 8-9),
populated (vs 10-11), possessed (v
12), and purified (vs 13-15).
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The forth message,
recorded in the last half of chapter 36, is clearly
addressed to Israel. It is not addressed to
the church. The church is not Israel and has
not replaced Israel in the prophecies and promises
made to Israel here in Ezekiel and elsewhere in the
Bible.
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The sprinkling of the
clean water in verse 25 is not Christian baptism,
but is the language of the red heifer
sacrifice of Numbers 19. In the context here, this
is part of the new covenant that is made with
regathered Israel in the land that God gave
them.
discuss / consider
Read Genesis 12:1-3 and
discuss the specific blessings that are part of the
covenant that God made with Abraham. Consider why
the promise to “make you a great nation” was so
significant when made to Abraham while he was still
in Haran. Discuss the timing of the fulfillment of
the promises made by God to Abraham and therefore to
the people of Israel.
challenge
What blessings has God promised you as a believer?
What has he asked of you? In John chapter 14, Jesus
said, “If anyone loves Me, He will obey My
teaching.” Are you aware of his teaching? Are you
being obedient to Jesus’ teaching? Jesus said,
“Whoever has My commands and obeys them, he is the
one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by
my Father, and I too will love him and show Myself
to him.”memorize
- “For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” Ezekiel 36: 24, 26-27
